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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2013 - 2014
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | March 31, 2014 11:03 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Richard L. Alloway, II |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Resolution Urging the PA Game Commission to Include Lyme Disease Education in the Hunter Trapper Training Course that is offered to Hunters each Year |
| According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 22014 cases of Lyme Disease were confirmed in the United States in 2012 with 18.83% or 4146 of the confirmed cases in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Lyme Disease is a potentially serious disease carried by deer ticks and is the most common tick-borne disease in the United States. Lyme disease is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected ticks. Lyme Disease is a frequently misunderstood illness that if not caught and treated properly can cause serious health problems. Children aged 5-9 and adults in their 50’s and 60’s experience the highest occurrence of Lyme Disease. Symptoms of Lyme disease vary from one person to another and may include fever, headache, joint paint and fatigue. 70-80 % of people develop a rash; patients initially develop a darkened area at the site of the tick attachment that resembles a bull's eye rash. Left untreated, later symptoms may involve the joints, heart, and central nervous system. In most cases, the infection and its symptoms are eliminated by antibiotics especially if the illness is treated early. Delayed or inadequate treatment can lead to more serious symptoms, which can be disabling and difficult to treat. Tick bites are most prevalent in early spring and summer, and late summer and fall. Deer ticks thrive in leafy forest habitat. The best protection from tick exposure is education and reduction of exposure to the ticks - tucking in pant cuffs and using bug repellant. Products containing DEET are effective in repelling ticks from your body. The health and well-being of the sportsmen and women of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania is of paramount importance to this legislative body, so I ask you to please join me in supporting a resolution to urge the Pennsylvania Game Commission to assist the sportsmen in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to educate and reduce their exposure to Lyme Disease by including Lyme Disease Education in the Hunter Trapper Education Training Course that is offered to hunters each year. |
Introduced as SR338